Leigh Silverman News

On June 3, 2013 Julia Jordan, Theresa Rebeck, Marsha Norman, Tim Sanford and The Committee for Recognizing Women in Theatre will present the 4th Annual Lilly Awards at Playwrights Horizons. Named for playwright Lillian Hellman, The Lilly Awards were created to recognize the extraordinary contributions made by women to the American Theater. Producers, playwrights, actors, designers, and directors will be honored for their continued excellence in the theater community.

The Lobby Project, a series of free performances, art exhibits, performances, conversations and readings by groundbreaking artists, poets, authors and performers, will be presented in conjunction with New York City Center's new Encores! Off-Center series, running July 10 - 27 at City Center. The events will place each Off-Center musical in the context of its legacy and provide insightful explorations of the work the audience is about to experience.

Husband-and-wife duo - two-time Tony Award-winner Katie Finneran (most recently on Broadway in 'Annie') and Darren Goldstein ('Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson') hosted the 15th Anniversary Benefit for the Off-Broadway theatre company Page 73 Productions last week at City Winery (155 Varick Street) in Manhattan. BroadwayWorld was there for the festivities and you can check out full photo coverage below!

Long Wharf Theatre Associate Artistic Director Eric Ting won an Obie Award last night for his direction of We Are Proud To Present A Presentation ... by Jackie Sibblies Drury at Soho Rep in New York.

The 58th Annual Village Voice Obie Awards ceremony was held tonight, May 20 at Webster Hall (125 East 11th Street, NYC). Check out the the full list of winners below!

Coming up at 54 BELOW, the performance venue located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond. 54 Below also launched its series of late night events. Joining Tuesday nights' popular "Backstage" with Susie Mosher is the "54 Piano Bar," a new vocal competition - 'The Callback," and more, including: stage and television star Laura Benanti, High Fidelity in Concert, WGBO Jazz Series: Karrin Allyson Quartet, Tony winner Frances Ruffelle, Charlie Rosen's Broadway Big Band, Sondheim Unplugged and Simply Streisand.

Two-time Tony Award-winner Katie Finneran (most recently on Broadway in "Annie") and husband Darren Goldstein ("Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson") are set to host the 15th Anniversary Benefit for the Off-Broadway theatre company Page 73 Productions onWednesday, May 22nd 2013 at City Winery (155 Varick Street) in Manhattan. The evening's festivities begin at 7:00pm and will include dinner, cocktails (including specialty cocktail "The Caroline McGraw" in honor of the 2013 P73 Playwriting Fellow) and the annual New Play Bake Off. Longtime Page 73 supporters Carson and Joseph Gleberman will be honored at this year's benefit.

The Village Voice, the nation's first and largest alternative weekly newspaper, welcomes esteemed critic and longtime judge of the awards Michael Feingold as Obie chairman for the 58th Annual Village Voice OBIE Awards, replacing former Chairman Brian Parks who has moved on from The Village Voice.

Page 73 Productions - the Off-Broadway company dedicated to producing and developing works by early-career playwrights - will present a reading of their 2013 Interstate 73 member E.M. Lewis' play SONG OF EXTINCTION on Wednesday, May 15 at 4pm at Roundabout Theater Company's rehearsal studios (115 West 45th Street 12th Floor). Calloway Award winner Carolyn Cantor (THE GREAT GOD PAN, AFTER THE REVOLUTION) will direct.

Coming up this week, 54 BELOW, the performance venue located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54thStreet, will present some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond. 54 Below also launched its series of late night events. Joining Tuesday nights' popular "Backstage" with Susie Mosher is the "54 Piano Bar," a new vocal competition - 'The Callback," and more:

The reading will star Celia Keenan-Bolger as 'Kate Quin,' Ari Graynor as 'Samantha Stewart,' Merritt Wever as 'Holly Caplan,' Lisa Joyce as 'Muffet DiNicola,' Aya Cash as 'Rita Altabel,' Lisa Kron as 'Mrs. Plumm,' Jenni Barber as 'Susie Friend,' Tracee Chimoas 'Carter,' and Cristin Milioti as 'Leilah,' with Byron Jennings as 'The Male Voice' andMelissa Ross as 'Narrator/ Stage Directions'.

ARI GRAYNOR, last seen on Broadway this season in The Performers, has joined the cast of the 35th anniversary benefit reading of Wendy Wasserstein's acclaimed play UNCOMMON WOMEN AND OTHERS on May 13th, directed by Obie Award Winner Leigh Silverman.

Primary Stages has announced the fourth production of their upcoming 29th Season: A new production of their 1995 Obie Award-winning THE MODEL APARTMENT by Pulitzer Prize winner Donald Margulies.

Naked Angels, the eclectic downtown theater company that recently partnered with the New School for Drama under the leadership of Naked Angels founding company member Pippin Parker, is pleased to announce that New School alumna Liz Carlson will assume the role of Artistic Director of Naked Angels beginning May 1, 2013, further enhancing the relationship between the two companies. Current Artistic Director Andy Donald, who succeeded Geoffrey Nauffts in July 2011 after two years as Associate Artistic Director, departs the company for a new position as a creative producer at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK: MOTOWN opens on Broadwy, the Gyspy Robe gets passed on, BIG FISH is introduced to Chicago, and so much more!

Playwrights Horizons (Tim Sanford, Artistic Director; Leslie Marcus, Managing Director) and Primary Stages (Casey Childs, Founder & Executive Producer; Andrew Leynse, Artistic Director; Elliot Fox, Managing Director) have announced an extension of their World Premiere co-production of THE CALL, a new play by Tanya Barfield (Blue Door at Playwrights Horizons/PH). The limited engagement at Playwrights Horizons' Peter Jay Sharp Theater (416 West 42nd Street) will now run through Sunday, May 26. Directed by two-time Obie Award winner Leigh Silverman (Go Back to Where You Are and Blue Door at PH; Hunting and Gathering at Primary Stages/PS; Golden Child, Chinglish, Well, In the Wake), THE CALL reunites Ms. Barfield and Ms. Silverman, who previously collaborated on the Playwrights Horizons production of Blue Door in 2006.

After numerous miscarriages, unsuccessful tries with fertility medications and an arrangement with a pregnant American woman that falls through, white metropolitan couple Annie and Peter (Kerry Butler and Kelly AuCoin) decide to adopt a child from Africa.

Playwrights Horizons and Primary Stages' World Premiere co-production of The Call, the new play by Tanya Barfield (Blue Door at Playwrights Horizons/PH), is directed by two-time Obie Award winner Leigh Silverman (Go Back to Where You Are and Blue Door at PH; Hunting and Gathering at Primary Stages/PS; Golden Child, Chinglish, Well, In the Wake) at the Peter Jay Sharp Theater (416 West 42nd Street). Check out photos from opening night below!

Tickets go on sale today for New York City Center Encores! Off-Center, a new series featuring seminal Off-Broadway musicals filtered through the lens of today's most innovative artists, opening on July 10. In keeping with City Center's founding mission to make the arts accessible to all, the majority of tickets will be $25.

The reading will star Celia Keenan-Bolger as 'Kate Quin,' Laura Benanti as 'Samantha Stewart,' Merritt Wever as 'Holly Caplan,' Lisa Joyce as 'Muffet DiNicola,' Aya Cash as 'Rita Altabel,' Lisa Kron as 'Mrs. Plumm,' Jenni Barber as 'Susie Friend,' Tracee Chimoas 'Carter,' and Cristin Milioti as 'Leilah,' with Byron Jennings as 'The Male Voice' andMelissa Ross as 'Narrator/ Stage Directions'.